Have you heard? London has announced plans to build the world's largest clock tower that will be named “Bigger Ben.”
Likewise, Canadian low-cost carrier WestJet has decided to replace food trolleys with an automated conveyor system that glides through the cabin overhead to deliver food orders.
And in Paris, city officials were feeling particularly cheeky this week and decided to rename historic metro stations using a bit of word play: Opéra, for instance, has become Apéro (which means cocktail hour in French); Chateau d'Eau (which means water tower) is now Chateau de Sable (sand castle); Télégraphe has become #Tweet and Alexandre Dumas is now Les Trois Mousquetaires.
These are among some of the amusing antics being pulled off around the world to mark April Fool's Day, when permission is granted to be a little absurd, and a lot irreverent.
On Twitter, Britain's official tourism agency released an infographic announcing plans to build a staggering 900m tower that would be christened “Bigger Ben.”
As the architect, who wished to remain anonymous, explained: “With the clock face 900m above the ground, the only people who'll be able to see it are airline pilots and people on the top floors of other extremely tall buildings, using binoculars. So a minority audience in terms of effective time-telling.”
WestJet also released a video to launch their newest in-flight innovation called “RALFH” – Robotic Automated Light Food Handler – a talking robot with sensitive feelings that will replace cumbersome food trolleys by gliding overhead to deliver food orders.
“This isn't about gimmicks. This isn't about technology for technology's sake. It really is about a great guest experience,” reassures Richard Bartrem, vice-president of marketing communications.
Cruise line Royal Caribbean also sent out an official release Friday announcing plans to hand over the privilege of naming their next ship to the guy who came up with “Boaty McBoatface” as the new moniker for a US$300mil (RM1.16bil) British research ship.
The National Environment Research Council had launched a campaign inviting the public to submit name suggestions for their next state-of-the-art polar research ship, set to sail in 2019.
The leading submission, alongside "It's bloody cold here," and "Ice Ice Baby," is "Boaty McBoatface." — AFP Relaxnews
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